23 voted against emergency funding for victims

A bunch of Texas Republicans voted against emergency funding for victims of Hurricane Sandy out there on that pesky godless elitist East Coast.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, a storm that hit New Jersey and New York in 2012, eight Texas Republicans voted against increasing flood insurance, and 23 voted against emergency funding for victims.

Both measures ultimately passed the House and Senate before being signed into law by President Obama. But the history of votes against flood insurance benefiting other needy states could come back to haunt Texas members of Congress should they have to apply for federal funding themselves after Hurricane Harvey. Projected damages from the storm could reach nearly $40 billion.

They can just have lots of garage sales. They’ll be fine.

The second bill provided $17 billion in emergency funding for Hurricane Sandy victims and communities, passing the House 241-180 and the Senate 62-36.

While Texas Sen. John Cornyn and former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison both supported a previous Senate version of the bill, Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz voted no to the House bill, taking issue with new provisions.

“Emergency relief for the families who are suffering from this natural disaster should not be used as a Christmas tree for billions in unrelated spending,” Cruz said in a statement at the time. “The United States Senate should not be in the business of exploiting victims of natural disasters to fund pork projects that further expand our debt.”

With the exception of Houston Rep. John Culberson, all Texas Republicans in Congress at the time voted against the bill. All but three are still in office today.

Several of the dissenters had previously pushed for flood funding when it affected Texas. The 32-member Texas delegation urged then-President George Bush to fund flooded areas in Texas in 2007.

Gohmert, who voted against both measures, pushedthen-Gov. Rick Perry and then-President George W. Bush to include eight additional counties in those that could apply to receive FEMA funding in 2008.

Do it to her, don’t do it to me.

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